What Stirs in the Night
by Bonjour My Friend
Summary: When 1/2 Changeling 1/2 Wizard Cynthia got her acceptance letter to Abbrax Academy of Witchcraft after applying for years and years with no luck, obviously she is excited. But what she doesn't realize is that she's just stepped into a dangerous game of Voodoo, Blood, and Power. AU. Modern Day New Orleans. Might go up to M for later chapters.
1. Intro

I love the city. I always have, ever since I first set foot in the city limits on vacation when I was 12. The architecture, the vibe, the magic, the jazz, it all surrounds you and enraptures you into loving every piece of dust here. So I leave the hazy heat of my home, Georgia, for the bustle of The Magic Capital of the US, New Orleans. And while I'll miss the lush green trees and summer nights spent on the porch, watching the sunset and sipping tart lemonade while the crickets and cicadas sing their interesting little tune, I'll leave it all for New Orleans. Because I love it there.

And the fact that I also get to study my favorite subject, magic, is an added bonus.. The rush that runs through your body whenever you cast a spell inthralls me, that extreme focus you fall under as you look into the future intoxicates me. I just genuinely love magic.

It doesn't mean that the rest of the world does though. Ever since The Magical Enlightenment in 2000, when the entire wizarding and magical community came out into the open, the world has been split into 3 different groups. The people who desperately want to be wizards, the people who don't really care, and people who refuse to accept us. And unfortunately, most people are in the latter position. They can't segregate us, due to the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, which gives Wizards the same rights as muggles, but they sure as hell don't make us very welcome. It isn't like that everywhere though, the south of France, England, Bulgaria, Canada, and parts of the US are very accommodating. But the conservative areas are not. It's not to say that everybody there is prejudiced, there are some very kind and accepting people there, but overall most people don't accept. I remember when my powers first started causing havoc in the 3rd grade, the boy, Andrew Carter, tried to convince everyone that I was possessed by the devil and that I was going to hell. I was homeschooled after the events in 3rd grade.

But some people are fine with it. Ms. Theme runs a potions shop just 5 minutes from my house, and people tend to treat her nicely, with the occasional one-sided idiot being idiotic.

Georgia, while being backwards in its belief system, is still my beautiful home. And I still proudly ride my broom around town despite the idiots who claim I'm Satan. Because as far as I'm concerned, they can take a branch and shove it up their ass.

New Orleans is special though. The whole place is charged with magic and excitement, not hate and stubbornness. New Orleans is the place for magic, it's the place for people like me who want to broaden their horizons in ways that unfortunately, beautiful small towns can't. It's where Abberax Academy of Witchcraft is located, and that place is my absolute dream. But money was tight, and so I had to settle for homeschooling. And money was tight there, and so no scholarships where being handed out. My mother is a good teacher though, so I have learned a lot, but I was always craving more. I craved more perspective, more people, and more opportunities. I helped out at Ms. Theme's shop and brewed potions for her sometimes (potions is one of my skills along with rune magic, enchantments, and divination, with divination being my absolute best), but I don't want to have all of this magic and waste it on just running a simple shop. I want put my divination skills to use and become a psychic. And Abberax has a whole psychic arts program, which I was dying to be a part of.

Hint word there, was.

I got my letter just last week. It read:

Dear Ms. Cynthia Herein,

We are pleased to inform you that your request for a scholarship to Abberax Academy of Witchcraft has been accepted. You shall be granted a full ride including boarding expenses to attend for your 6th and 7th year in the Psychic Arts Program. Please make sure to arrive at your doorstep at exactly 10:30 am sharp on the morning of August 28th, 2013, so that the train can pick you up. Please make sure that you have the following magical instruments:

- A wand

- A crystal ball formed out of crystal of choice and holder

- A cauldron

- 1000 sheets of parchment

- Blue ink, red ink, and black ink

- 5 quills

- 1050 parchment rollers

- A pendulum

- 1 20 once piece of your choice of crystal

- 1 tarot card pack

- Jewelry Box

- Herb Box

- 1 Altar Bell

- 1 Pentagram Altar Box

- 1 Pre-Enchanted piece of jewelry (your choice) containing plain magic

- 1 set of Rune Stones in Glass, and 1 set of Rune Stones in your choice of crystal

- 1 Talisman piece of jewelry in the crystal of your choice

- Necessary clothing toiletries

- Tarot Cards and How to Properly Use Them by Keel Macabee

- Advanced Divining Potions by Austia Yao

- Enchantments for the Psychic at Heart by Gen Heartlock

- Horace Wilda's Key to Rune Magic and Translation by Horace Wilda

- Pentagram: The History of Psychic Arts by Verna Greenhand

- The Dreamwork Method by Alice Cosby

- Astronomy and How to Harness it's Power by Helga Vaultt

The books necessary for your core classes that are not advanced for the Psychic Arts program, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and Flying will all be given to you on the first day that classes start.

Please be aware that your crystal of choice must be the same crystal. This crystal will be used for the duration of your time here at Abberax.

A handbook shall be coming your way very quickly on the way things work at Abberax Academy of Witchcraft. We cannot wait to have you as a student.

Sincerely,

The Faculty of Abberax Academy of Witchcraft

I swear, opening that letter must have been the best feeling in my life. I actually got to go! I can go out and actually meet wizards other than my mom and Mrs. Theme and actually start to become a part of the Wizarding community! It's going to be great. I can just tell.

My mom was happy for me, but also a bit sad. She said to me, "I'm going to miss not being your teacher anymore. But I'm happy you get to follow your dreams. I'm also going to miss lecturing you about your hair." It's been a running joke in our household about how mom doesn't really approve of my hair. I once had stark white hair, sickly pale like my skin due to me being half changeling (On my Father's side). I thought that it would prevent me from being accepted into the wizarding community because changelings are not liked, but she thought that it made me unique and more 'mystically mysterious'. So I dyed it lavender, and she's hung it over my head ever since as a joke.

My mom really is my only friend. Well, only friend that is a being. As a kid I always played with the sprites that live in the garden, and sometimes I converse with them. But my mom is my only being friend. Since I was outcasted, it made us closer. I really do love her. But we agreed that I need to go out and experience life and meet some new people.

She helped me pack my bags and we bought the supplies we didn't have on the Internet, and I went over to Mrs. Theme's shop to tell her the news. She was happy for me, and gave me a 2 vials of dragon's blood as a parting gift, and I gave her my latest batch of brownies infused with calming draught. I also bought a parcel of lavender to press. I'll miss that shop.

I've gone to all of my favorite places to excess in an attempt to become sick if them, but I feel as if it's only made things worse. I feel even more attached, despite my best efforts.

But now I'll get attached to a whole new place, once I'm there.

Abberax Academy of Witchcraft.

And I can't wait.

-/-/-/-/-

Soooo whad ya think? I'm trying to makes this story as Mary-Sue free as possible, so if I start leaning towards that territory please tell me so that I can fix it, because nothing is worse than an annoying Mary-Sue.

And on that Mary-Sue note, here's the entry part of the OC Contest! I'm looking for about 3-5 OCs for this story. I need certain parts to be filled, and so I might ask to change parts of your character's backstory if necessary. If I need to I'll PM you, and if you are not on an account unfortunately I'm going to have to change them without your input.

Rules:

- No Mary-Sues. I tend to find that musical abilities are linked to Mary-Sue territory, so please, regain from the 'sings like a lark and plays masterful guitar' descriptions.

- I'm not accepting scholarship OCs because it would mess with the plot line of the story.

- No extreme drama, please. It only makes your character very annoying. Take Hermione for example. She didn't come from a troubled childhood and yet she was still a powerful character, so please just don't make everything so troubled

-You can create whatever kind of legacy you want pertaining towards your character's bloodline. I would prefer if their roots are in New Orleans, because it will help with the story.

-You can enter 1 boy and 1 girl at the most

- Don't be a dick if your character doesn't get chosen. Because if you're a dick, then the chances of me using your character in another way decreases. And don't be pompous either, because it works the same way. Just be a nice person.

- Look at the other submissions before you enter so that your character isn't a copycat of somebody else's. People have copied off of my characters before and it really pisses me off. Again, just be a nice person.

An explanation of the AU I'm putting in place here:

- Abberax was established in 1837 was a boarding school for the magically gifted, and became the sister school to Hogwarts. It was hidden that it was only accepting magical students, and when a non-magical student applied they where denied, and the school would basically give bullshit reasons as to why they where denied.

- The school is named after the first headmaster, Abberax Démonte

- It is based off of the Hogwarts system, where there are 4 houses. Cognitio (Ravenclaw), Gaudium (Hufflepuff), Honora (Griffindor), and Sanguinem (Slytherin). *Side note, the story is centered mostly around Sanguiem, so characters from there are more appreciated.*

- The house names are in Latin. Cognitio means Knowledge, Gaudium means Joy, Honora means Honor, and Sanquiem means Blood.

- Sanguiem is not a house full a dicks, it's a house of ambition. Back before the Blood Acts of 2001, Sanguiem was the house where the rich and powerful pure-blood families dominated. Now the the Blood Acts have outlawed any prejudice against types of blood and the racism towards blood has died down, the house is not just for pure-bloods. And it's not a house for the bad guys either. It's a house for the ambitious at heart. However, most of the old and powerful families still dominate the house, but not to the extent that they used to.

- In New Orleans never has to shield itself away from the rest of the muggle world because it's a city based off of magic, so people almost expected it. And most of them where too drunk to notice anyways. They still kept things underground though, just so that nobody would start to question things.

- Voodoo is illegal magic, and has been outlawed in the US

- The Magical Enlightenment was lead my Hermione Weasly, who first approached the British Parliament and then gave Magical Beings rights as citizens, stopped the use of house elves as slaves, and made hunting laws against beasts. These laws where later adopted in most countries, but there are still some countries where being a magical being is illegal.

- The American style of magic differs slightly from the rest of the world. The American style is based off of some Voodoo practices, using pentagrams, altars, and rune magic to cast spells. It's a wandless form of magic that has been growing in popularity steadily since The Magical Enlightenment brought together more styles of magic. Abberax teaches both the American Method, and the English Method, but focuses more on the American Method.

- Abberax has several different specialized programs, including:

~Wizarding Craftsmanship (Students learn how to create wizarding instruments like wands, time turners, brooms, and rune stones and learn how to successfully run their own wizarding shop)

~Psychic Arts (Students focus on Norse, American, and Ancient styles of psychic magic, and also study demonics and how to deal with bad spirits. They gain the knowledge necessary to be a fully certified psychic and medium, and gains qualification for whatever branch of psychic magic they decide to pursue)

~Resident Wizard Studies (Students learn how to teach magic along with learning about magic from India, Africa, Asian Cultures, Bulgaria, France, Native American Tribes, America and Great Britain. Students can then take their skills to countries that are in seek of Magical Enlightenment and spread their knowledge as a resident witch or wizard to children with magical abilities who aren't able to go to school.)

~Healing Arts (Students learn mostly based off of the teachings of St. Mungo, with some American healing magic thrown in as well)

~Auror Studies (Students learn the knowledge needed to become an auror. Students learn the British Method along with a slight education in the American Method. Students master the art of dueling and tracking down people and things using basic rune magic.

- Students do not have to be a part of a program

- There is no dress code

- There is a Quidditch team

- The American Method is actually based off of Voodoo, Norse, Celtic, Britsh, and Ancient forms of magic, but is called the American Method because nobody but America teaches it.

So that's a mouthful. Now to the form!

Name:

Age: (Must be from 16-17, 16 having a birthday that is in September through October)

Year: (Must be 6)

Gender:

Blood Status:

Residency: (Must be in the US)

Facial Appearance: (ie. Prominent cheekbones, slim nose, heart shaped face)

Hair: (ie. Red, mid back, straight with bangs)

Skin:

Height:

General Clothing Style:

History: (Why they're at the school, what their family does, family situation, etc.)

House:

Program: (OC doesn't have to be in a program)

Personality: (Be descriptive, what do they like? What ticks them off?

Quirks: (ie. fidgets)

Skills: (Only 1-3 please.)

Realtionship: (If you want me to create a romantic relationship with another character. It may be existing or one that develops.)

What they think of Cynthia: (In case you forgot, Cynthia is my OC. Please don't just skip to the bottom for the form, please read the intro. So are they friendly? Have a crush on her? Despise her? Doesn't have an opinion?)

I need at least one male villain character, one female best friend, and one male best friend. The males must be in Sanguinem, but the girl can be in any house. The OC's I don't pick will most likely show up as minor characters.

Good luck!


	2. Once Upon a Very Loud Trolley Train

"CYINTHIA I SWEAR CHILD IF YU DON'T WAKE UP RIGHT NOW I'LL POUR THE DRINK OF DESPAIR ALL OVER YOUR FANCY ABNORMAL HAIR!" Well that woke me up. What day is it even? Tuesday? They all just seem to mesh together.

"I'm up ma!" I yell out, because I know that she's probably already in the shower by now. Haziness runs through my body and I let it carry me through my morning routine. I take out my fishtail braid and let the hair hang down, nice and wavy. I lazily reach for the Ten-Second Pimple Vanisher I just brewed last week and apply it on my face, watching the blemishes disappear. God I love magic. Then comes the Sleekeazy's Hair Potion to make my hair wavier, and I'm off to the kitchen.

My mom walks out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, looking at me very oddly.

"What?" I ask. "Did I forget to close the shutters again?" I open one of the cupboards and take out the Invigoration Draught, Crystal Essence, Antidotes for Common Poisons and a shot glass and make my morning drink. Much better than coffee in my opinion, and it makes me very immune to basic poisons because I've been drinking it for years.

"First of all, yes, you did, a Doxy came in and almost bit my arm off." She's still looking at me, worried. Why though?

"Sorry Ma, I was just so tired from packing." I take my morning drink and instantly feel energy running through my body. Now I'm actually awake.

Oh wait.

Shit.

SHIT.

"HOLY SHIT WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME IT WAS TODAY?" I run directly to the bathroom and quickly brush my teeth. I make a dash for my bedroom, and I can see my mom just sitting there, smirking as she read's her book.

"DON'T SMIRK MOM!" I head over towards my closet and pull out my studded leather corset, my denim wash shorts, and my loose knit white cardigan. I quickly dress and head over to my spare enchanted jewelry box, considering my regular on is in my bags. I take out my signature amethyst talisman necklace, and amethyst crystal curt in the small, perfect sphere that contains magic I've been slowly putting in for 8 years. Then I put on my protection ring, a medium sized band made entirely from jade. Then come my assortment of other enchanted rings and bracelets, like my bracelet that makes my magic undetectable. Illegal, maybe, but this way nobody can trace things back to me, and nobody will ever know it has that power. It reads as a charm to protect against sunburn. But I already am immune to sunburn thanks to my changeling heritage. Took me awhile for the bracelet to be powerful and undetectable, I only just finished it 3 months ago and I started last year.

"Cynthia, darling it's 10:00!" SHIT! I quickly grab the eyeliner and do a small amount of top liner, just enough that I made my eyes look a bit sharper, and a light bronze color along my crease, and some mascara. I grab all my makeup supplies and put them in a little bag, and then rush out to the living room where al my suitcases are. I grab my carry on pastel watercolor canvas drawstring backpack and put it in there. I take out my wand, and close the bag.

"Mom, can you help me with this?" My mom puts down her book and takes 2 of my 5 suitcases and drags them across the hardwood, making a clinking sound every time she came upon a new strip of wood. I take two suitcases as well, and leave them out on the porch. Once the luggage is all there, it's already 10:25.

"So you're sure that you have everything? Even the morning potions?"

I smile. "Yeah, I put the extras in."

She hugs me. "Oh, darling, I'm so happy for you! Even though I do think that corset of yours is a bit suggestive, I think you look great." I roll my eyes. "And you'll be great Cynthia. And remember; don't get tangled up in the wrong people. And heaven help me wear protection, please."

"Mom! That's not why I'm going there!"

"I'm just saying if you dress like that, boys are going to get special feelings which can lead to-"

"MOM!" She laughs hysterically. "Honestly darling, you think I mean too much of what I actually say." Mom puts her dark brown hair into a ponytail, and pushes the bangs that won't cooperate out of the way. Mom really is a beauty, and is a teenager at heart. I guess that's why we get along so easy. She's just like me.

A roaring noise splits the cheerful morning noises. I cover my ears to save my hearing from the gut wrenching sound of screeching metal.

"OH HONEY! LOOK THE TRAIN'S HERE!" She yells out as the noise starts to decline. A fast blur of an old-fashioned trolley speeds by the porch, endless cars meshing together until the train stops. A man in a grey suit walks out of the trolley containing hundreds of teenagers looking at me like I'm from the moon.

"Herein, Cynthia?" He calls out in a large, booming voice.

"Yes?" My stomach drops. Oh my god. This is actually happening. I feel sick.

"May I have your wand for identification purposes please?" I hand over my wand, and the man taps in 3 times with a small hammer.

"Ash wood, Dragon heartstring, 11 and ½ inches…" he taps the hammer 5 time in the tip of the wand, careful to not break it. "…Octagonal, smooth, hard, rune of power… and journey… yep. You're Cynthia Herein alright." He waved his hand and my bags disappeared. "Your bags are in the baggage trolley, and shall be transported to you room after you are sorted into your house. You may have your wand now," He hands me my wand and I put it back into my backpack.

"Now please, take a seat and relax. We shall be arriving at Abberox Academy of Witchcraft in approximately 5 hours." My mother turns to me, looking slightly teary eyed.

"I remember when you where in diapers. Very, very stinky diapers and now you're going to Abberax. Where the hell has time gone?" She says, wrapping me into a very tight hug, threatening to burst y internal organs.

"Mom," I say after about 20 seconds. "Mom, you can let go now,"

"But I don't wanna." She whispers in my ear, playing with my lavender hair. I look out to the trolley. All the kids are staring at me or are turned away whispering like something scandalous just happened. I guess word of a scholarship student being accepted got around.

"Unfortunately, miss, we run a very tight schedule here, and we must be off!" The trolley man says. She lets go of me and smiles. She winks and sends me off.

"Welcome aboard."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

**Sooooooo this is where the OCs come in. AND I NEED MOAR. I'm accepting PMs and comments, and if you've already entered you can enter in another OC in another gender. AND IMPORTANT NOTE: THEY MUST BE IN NEW ORLEANS AND HAVE SOME KIND OF LARGE FAMILY HOLDING THERE. OTHERWISE THE STORY MAKES NO SENSE. Donka. And 'gudnight!**


	3. The Vamp and His Lovely Lady Friends

The moment I step on the train silence falls. I really don't like this. REALLY, REALLY DON'T LIKE THIS. It's like I'm on display or something!

I look ahead and avoid any sort of eye contact as I make my way towards the sign reading '6th Year Carts Ahead'.

"There's the scholarship student I heard about,"

"I heard that she's a Changeling."

"Ew! Is she going to like, steal my soul or something?"

"Probably!"

What people fail to realize is that whispering doesn't mean that your conversation will be private. I roll my eyes at their blatant stupidity and carry on. I move the squeaking, heavy sliding wood doors leading to the 6th years carts.

I look at all the compartments, looking my classmates. All of them are laughing, making jokes and having, or staring at me with wonder and disgust. All the places are full, and the places that aren't don't look welcoming.

"Lucas, can you get your blood bags out of here? You know that shit creeps me out," A female voice says rather loudly, stopping me in my tracks.

Blood bags. Blood bags equal Vampires. Vampires equal screwed me. Because Changelings are fairies, and fairy blood is the finest blood in the world. Which means, I'm a dear with a big, fat bullseye on my heart. In hunting season. In an open clearing. With a broken leg. I'm really, really FUCKED.

I move very quickly past that compartment, hoping they don't notice me.

"Hey! Hey you, stop!" The same female voice yells out. I turn in her direction. She opens the compartment doors and grins.

"So this is the scholarship student the inner circle has been raving about," her icy blue eyes light up with mischief. The guy in her compartment drinking a blood bag perks up his head, staring at me with curiosity.

"I'm Thea, and that over there is Lucas. No need to introduce yourself, we all know who you are already." She moves out of the way, and gestures towards the seats in the compartment. The guy waves and I smile as I move in. I sit down across from the guy, and Thea sits next to me.

"I'm Lucas by the way. Don't mind the teeth, I don't drink from the vein so you're fine." He continues to drink his blood.

"So, Cynthia, all I've heard about you has come from assorted gossip from rich people with wands up their asses, so I have to ask you one thing. Do you really murder infants for sport?" Thea says, putting her elbows on her knees and her head on her hands.

"No, I find that eating baby fat messes up my digestion." She laughs, and I can hear a muffled chuckle from Lucas, still absorbed in his blood.

"I like you," Thea says, brushing her jet black bangs from her eyes. "You're not like the rest of the posers here who believe that balls and marriage are the only values in life."

Lucas nods, finishing his blood. "It's basically like that muggle TV show Gossip Girl around here. But without all the sex and adultery." He says, licking his lips for

"Well, a little of that." Thea says with a smirk on her face.

Lucas stares at my jugular vein, his dark green eyes squinting with intense concentration. The unease reasonating from him hits me like a wave. I'm not sure if this guy wants to eat me or stare me to death.

Thea, on the other hand doesn't seem to notice, or care. I can't tell which. "So, Cynthia Herein. Pretty odd name. Then again my parents had the stroke of genius to name me fucking Theodora, so I'm not one to judge, but don't hear of many Cynthias. Tell me about yourself, something that the inner circle wouldn't know." She leans back against the leather seat and pulls out a muggle iPhone, and turns on some music.

"Well, I'm not quite sure what the inner circle is or what they would know about me, but I approve of the music selection," I run my hand through my hair, playing with a stray lanvender lock.

Lucas turns away from staring at my neck and perks his head up. "Yes," he says, "one of the good aspects of muggles: they gave us Death Cab For Cutie." He smiles at me, fiddling with her black trilby hat in a nervous fashion.

"So now that we've assured that your not a complete idiot when it comes to music, I shall do the honor of bestowing upon you the knowledge of how things work around here." Thea says, looking at me and pulling down her dark green pleated silk skirt.

"The school is dominated by the powerful wizarding families from the cities. Literally, they make up the parents board that make most of the decisions in the school. Both of us are from some of these families. I'm from the Finch Family, and Twilight man over here is a Wiseman." She says.

"As in the wand repairers?" I say in shock. I'm afraid to mention that I know about Thea's family, because that must be a touchy subject to manuver around. After all I just met her and she's actually talking to me, better to not jepordize that.

"Yep. The only wand repair shop in the country. Wand repair is rather boring though, I prefer wand making." He says casually.

Thea's eyes turn slightly harsher. She takes a deep breath and continues. "Our other friends are all prominent families as well. We've all grown up together, and known each other for ages. Our parents grew up together, our grandparets grew up together, and so on and so on. It's always been this way."

"If you already live in New Orleans though, then why are you on the train?" I interrupt her speech.

"The fun of it," Lucas answers. "We don't have to take the train, but we do every year because we getto spend more time together and catch up after our sperate vacations. But all of them went on a trip to South Africa this year expect for us, because the two of us went to London. There where some odd drama among our parents or something. But they're only coming back today, so they can't take the train this year." He finishes. I nod my head in understanding.

"Now, back to my awesome explation," Thea smirks. "So, since our families basically control the goings on in the school, they also control the scholarships that get approved."

Oh. So that explains things.

She looks at me for a little bit and then continues. "And since we control the scholarships that get approved, we also control how much money goes into the programs."

"And the scholaraship program didn't have substantial funds all the previous years, correct?" I say.

"Yep," Lucas says, "expect for this year. And since there wasn't any money, it is quite mysterious as to how you got in, when nobody paid for it." He finished.

"Can't they just look back at transaction records?" I say, then realizing that they must have already done that. Stupid.

"Everybody already has, and the money seems to stem from an anonymus source. That's the whole drama issue with out parents. Our parents believe muggle banks are beneath them, and that wizarding banks are unsafe. After everything that happened during The Great Wizarding War, can you blame them for not wanting to trust banks?" Thea says.

"And so, there are no transaction records for our families personal fortunes, so nobody can prove who gave the money. That's why you've been the butt of an unwelcoming welcome from most people." Lucas says.

A comfortable silence falls over the compartment. I process the information in my head, Lucas pull out another blood bag, and Thea closes her eyes and rests for a bit.

Who in the world would fund me education? I don't know any wizards in New Orleans, and neither does my mom unless she knows something I don't. But she would tell me if she did, right? She would. We tell each other everything. She wouldn't lie to me, ever. So what could it be? There's plenty of other people who they could have given it to, I'm sure of it. What makes me any different?

I can't think of anything. Meh, in all reality, who cares? It doesn't affect me. And while it may affect this inner circle, I'm not a part of it, so I shouldn't worry about it.

I look over to Thea and study her. She has fair skin, darker than Lucas and I, but then again halfbreeds like us commonly have sickly pale skin. She looks like an old world beauty, high check bones, very slim nose, a delicate and slim face, and large almond eyes (when she opens them of corse). She has this attitude of smartassery and playfulness which I quite like. I also like her clothing sense, a kind of soft rock look going on. I quite approve.

And Lucas has this whole classy causal-formal thing going on. He has very 40's-esque curly brown hair underneath his hat of his, and a white button up dress shirt rolled up to his elbows with black jeans and a fancy ring. The magic signature on it tells me that it's definatley a sunlight ring to deal with the sun. Actually, much of him is very 40's-esque. His face is oval shaped, and he has low cheekbones and a very strong, masculine jawline, and captivating onyx eyes of a vampire. He looks like he could be the male love interest in one of those golden age films.

After some time later, Lucas looks at me. "So, do you know what house you want to be in yet?" He starts up a conversation.

"I can't really decide which one I'll be the most happy in." I answer honestly. It's true. I think that Ill be happy in whatever house I end up in, so I can't really pick one over the rest of them.

"Well, I hope you are in Sanguiem. That way I'll be able to see you more often." He smiles.

"What's Sanguiem like?" I ask.

"Well, mostly it's where the inner circle people are, mainy because our families have been in Sanguiem forever. So I find it fun, because I'm with my friends. We get the part of the school that has the large turret, so that's cool and all. We're also the side that's facing Burbon Street, so watching all the drunk people can be very, very amusing." He grins and I laugh a bit too loudly, waking up Thea.

"What's so funny?" She asks groggily.

"Drunk people."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Lame way to end the chapter? Maybe. I nearly had a heart attack because I thought that I had deleted all this. Thank god I didn't.

I'm still accepting OCs, but I need boys more than girls. These aren't the only two OCs in the story, All of the OCs I've gotten so far are in the plot line.

A fair warning: The rating might go up to M for violence, torture, mentions of sex, attempted rape, character death, and probably some more things as I develop the plot more 0.0 I'm not so sure how it all got so dark but... yeah. Tell me if you are uncomfortable with your OC doing any of these things.

Thank you to HPfan for Thea, and to shadowssj12 for Lucas!

Until next time Dahlings.


	4. Marked for Phantoms

We talked and talked for hours on end. Apparently Lucas is in the Wizard Craftsmanship Program, with a focus in wands. It would make sense, after all his family owns one of the finest wand repair shops in the country. And Thea is in the Auror Studies Program, which makes sense considering her family is a long run of Aurors, some of them being rather controversial in their methods. It's interesting watching her dance around the subject. I could see her squirm in her seat when she mentioned her program, and how her eyes stayed strong despite her physical reaction. I find it interesting at least.

I also found out about some of their other friends. Apparently, they're friends with Clerah Merrin. That sparked my interest, considering it was her family that in 1907 crossed barriers and allowed for halfbreeds like myself to come out into the open. Her family is notorious for being shifters, only fully changing on the full moon. I'm exited to meet her at least, because maybe she'll be able to make my life easier. She likes to keep her ears and tail out though, and so she must shift into a cat. I've studied these kinds of things. It's odd to be going to school with a person who's sort of famous.

Apparently boys aren't a good subject for her though, a real dick messed with her last year, and so I was given the warning to not bring that subject up.

They have 3 other friends as well, Tibby, Nova, and Henry. Tibby is the only one who has parents that do muggle professions. Her father is a surgeon, and mother is apparently the perfect trophy wife. She's the nice one, according to Thea. Nova has the same last name as the Black family, but claims no relation. Claims. Lucas is still convinced that she's secretly like a cousin 4 times removed or something. Her family doesn't hold that many historical ties, which apparently makes you have more say in how things are run, but she's been best friends them since 1st year, so her family gained more say. She's in the wizarding craftsmanship program along with Lucas and Henry, and she likes making crystal balls the most. That's a plus for me. She's also been through some boy troubles as well. Apparently it's a bit of a trend in this group. Henry really likes brooms, and can make really good quality brooms. He and Lucas are really close, and have done everything together since birth. Thea thinks of him as a player, but Lucas thinks that he's just 'hormonally challenged'. I laughed at that one. At least these people seem to be all right.

The train traveled all across the country while we talked. LA, Palm Springs, NYC, DC and everywhere in between. I can see the appeal of coming on the train everyday despite not needing to; you really see the country along with your friends. I think I can call Lucas and Thea my friends. Never really had any so I don't know when I can actually say that they are my friends. Eh…people are so weird.

"Welcome to New Orleans!" Thea pokes me and I look out the window. Masses of people crowd the street, some moving, some stopping to look at street performers crooning sweet jazz or performing complex and stunning magic, lost in their own world.

"So, are you ready for the sorting?" Lucas asks me.

"It seems a bit Pagan, isn't it?" I say and they laugh.

"Well," Thea says, fiddling with her side swept bangs, "it's tradition. Can't break tradition after all. Otherwise a shitstorm could swipe up the entire country," she snorts.

"It's really like that. Kind of stupid, but important to the people with the power." Lucas says casually.

"I just think that slitting my wrist for my house is kind of…ah…unnecessarily painful." I look down at my wrists, not wanting to really cut them.

"Look, we all did it, it's completely fine. And they'll heal you right after." Thea points out.

The train jerks still, throwing us to the side. "We're here!" Thea yells, punching her fist in the air. I smirk and grab my carry on, and we all head out.

A small, strict looking lady booms out for everybody to get into his or her respective houses. I look at Lucas not knowing what to do, and he just wraps his arm around my shoulder and makes a sign towards the small, bird-like lady and she nods her head. "Just stay with us, we'll guide you though." He whispers close to my ear so that I can hear him. I nod and smile, and Thea smirks and shakes her head.

"What?" I say, smiling.

"Me? Oh, nothing!" Thea says, grinning like a cat. Lucas pulls me in tighter, and I look up at him. He just walks forwards with the rest of the now moving group.

-/-/-/-/-/-

We walk across this long, perfectly manicured lawn towards the school. Lucas tells me along the way that the school used to be a mansion that belonged to the very first headmaster, Abberax Demonte. The building was hidden with magic from 1837 to 2001, and the entire hidden area opened up 2 whole streets that people didn't even know existed until they lifted the spell. So the place has a crazy amount of space around it. It basically takes up the entire 2 extra streets.

"Hey, I'm going to go find everybody else. Want to come with?" Thea asks.

"Sure! I want to meet these people who can just travel off to Africa on a whim." I say, smiling. You know, I actually feel happy right now. Genuinely, and truly happy. People are weird; they make you feel happy by doing basically nothing.

"Man, they're going to flip when they see you." She says, heading off towards the right, Lucas and I following.

Thea searches for a while, her head bobbing up and down and all kinds of ways to find the rest of her friends.

"HEY NOVA! GET THE FUCK OVER HERE YA BITCH!" She yells at the top of her lungs.

A girl with the same jet-black hair as her whips her head around. I'm assuming that's Nova. See looks like a 21st century Thea, with tan skin, hair reaching mid black with dark red highlights and bangs that sweep over her right eye, and a button nose and dark blue eyes. She seems comfortable with her body, considering that she's wearing a white crop top, black sweat pants and a green hoodie with the head down despite the weather still being summery. She fiddles with a New Orleans Ghouls baseball cap. I always find it amusing how quidditch teams nowadays act like muggle sports. She has this kind of 'I don't really give a fuck' attitude around her. She seems a lot like Thea in that way.

"Thea!" She runs towards her, pushing past a couple people as she goes. The two collide forcefully and start laughing like madwomen.

"Their fathers are best friends and went here together way back when, so they've been close since birth, basically." Lucas tells me. I nod in understanding.

Nova looks over at me and gives me a slightly dirty look.

That's right, her family seriously doesn't like how I got in through unknown means.

"Come on Cynthia, let's go to the main hall. Time for that pagan ritual of yours." He smirks.

"I'm seriously going to hate this, aren't I?"

"Hell yeah. It hurts like a motherfucker, but they'll revive you afterwards. That is, if you don't get a vision in the fire. Then you're screwed."

"Wait, hold up. Visions in the fire?" What is he talking about?

"It's really rare, there's only been like 4 people who've ever been able to see something other than the fire colored to show their house. It's told as an urban legend now, since nobody has seen anything in 109 years or so. I think they don't revive you if that happens due to some old belief in the purity of blood. Those people are supposed to have some sort of special property in their blood, but I kind of forget. Don't worry, I really just meant it as a joke. The chances of that happening are little to none."

"Alright, I just really want that revive." Run my free hand through my hair again, my anxiety of being in pain catching up to me.

"You'll be fine. Just be in Sanguiem, and it'll all be fine."

"What's so bad about the other houses? I think Honora has good values," I rest my head on his shoulder casually. All of this walking across the lawn is really making me tired.

"Oh please, that place is full of narcissistic pricks who only want to make the rest of us feel less worthy of the air around them."

"And isn't that what Sanguiem is supposed to be?"

He pauses. "Yes. There are many people like that here who can't seem to get over the whole Blood Acts debacle. But then there are some really awesome people like me who are there due to motivation and personal drive. That and our families have legacies there. But that is beside the point. The main point is, that it's hard to find level headed people around here, and I'm not going to let one go into a different house with stupid people unlike us." He smirks, which I've noticed him doing a lot.

"Well then, I guess that you'll just have to wait and see."

-/-/-/-/-/-

I left Lucas and headed over to where the 1st years are so that I can be sorted. I think that I forgot how annoying 11 year olds could be. Seriously, are these kids on drugs or something? Why are they so hyper?

"Attention! Everybody, your attention please!" The same bird-ish lady from before booms out, quickly making all the children quiet down.

"My name is Professor Langvich, and I shall be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for all of your years. I suggest that you do your best to impress me, for I can help you get a job in an instant, or crush your future just as quickly. Be wise in your studies. While you are studying here at Abberax, you shall be divided into 4 different houses. These houses are Cognitio, Gaudium, Honora, and Sanguiem. These houses shall be your family, and you are expected to stay loyal to your family at all times. Each house shall have their own sponsored events, and quidditch teams. The Headmaster shall go over that to more detail later though.

"The sorting ritual shall be as follows: You shall walk up to the sorting basin, you shall take the knife and slit your wrist into the basin, so that your blood shall fall into the basin. Do not worry, you shall be revived right after." That is considering you don't see freaking visions or whatever in the fire.

"The outcome can be one of 4: Blue for Cognitio, Yellow for Gaudium, Red for Honora, and Green for Sanguiem. Once the fire has a set color, you shall take a seat in your house row. Now if you'd follow me please," She gestures towards the large French doors, and opens them. We all file in through the long pathway leading towards a slightly elevated platform with a podium and a table for the staff.

I pass a table surrounded by dark green drapes and flags with Basilisks on them. Guessing that's Sanguiem. Seriously, having a XXXXX beast as your mascot doesn't really help you with getting rid of the whole 'bad guy' persona. Thea and Lucas wave and I wave back. It feels really…nice. To have people who will wave to you despite the fact that it kind of looks ridiculous to others surrounding. That's what I always found at least. But then again, nobody's ever waved to me. It still looks a bit ridiculous, but it's endearing. I like it.

I walk towards the mass horde of first years surrounding the podium, where a young man, looking to be about 26 or 27 stands, smiling to himself.

"Attention! Attention everyone!" His voice echoes through the halls, clearly amplified through an amplification charm.

"Welcome to another year at Abberax. My name is Professor Raiden, your headmaster. Now before I go over the rules, I believe it's time to sort the first years." He waves his hand and the podium disappears, earning a gasp from the 1st years, and in its place stands a stone basin, just the right size for the fun-sized 11 year olds.

"Dreaian, Lauren!" He says, and a timid little girl walks up and goes over to the basin. She starts shaking as she grabs the knife. A lady in a nurse uniform walks up with her, with a cloth in her left hand, ready to immedetly heal her after the blood is spilt.

She shakily pressed the blade to her wrist, and cuts. The blood drips into the basin, and a yellow flame starts to erupt. The nurse quickly presses the cloth to her wrist, and the cut is gone. The Gaudium table whoops and claps loudly as Lauren smiles shyly and heads over to her new house table.

I guess it isn't all that bad. I wonder how Lucas keeps himself under control with all this blood around.

All the first years come and go, each one slitting their wrist and each one being healed straight after. I'm eventually the last on standing by the podium.

"Herein, Cynthia."

I'm not nervous anymore. I walk up to the basin and stand straight in front of it and grab the blade. The nurse stand right next to me, ready to heal me once the cut is made. I make a quick scan on the audience. The room is filled with a tension, people stare at me with apprehension and with a challenge in their eyes, daring me to show them that I'm not afraid of them. Or their knives.

I look back at my wrist and press the blade into it gently. A small trickle of blood comes out, but doesn't hit the basin. I take a breath. Hold it. And slice my wrist.

Pain burns up my arm and I try to keep a straight face. I'm not going to let them win. Their families may not like me, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to let them judge me on their parent's beliefs.

I look at the fire. It's a rapid change between a green and blue flame, changing so fast it looks like a teal color.

The audience talks panically among themselves and Professor Raiden tries to quiet the crowd.

I stumble back in pain as my entire body burns like crazy. I look out into the fire and gasp.

There's a picture. A moving picture.

It's a small girl begging for something from a dangerous looking boy, towering over her menacingly. She cries out to him and falls to his knees. He slaps the girl and throws her to the ground, hard. He yells in her face and slaps her again. He pulls out his wand, puts it too her throat, and kills her.

The fire stops changing and turns a solid green. No cheering at all. The nurse won't revive me.

I look at the nurse with a pleading look, asking her to help me with my eyes. But she looks at me wit fear in her eyes. She flicks her hand and the spilt blood is up in the air and quickly bottled. I look at the crowd. They look terrified of me, like I'm a monster about to eat all of them. Maybe I should, they're pissing me off. I'm the one who's about to pass out and maybe die from blood loss, and they think that they have the right to be scared. Right.

"_Harabera_." The nurse mutters, and a newfound resolve washes through me. At least she had the decency to put a spell that'll prevent me from fainting. Still doesn't help that I'll be continually bleeding in the same room as a VAMPIRE. Really, really not good.

I walk tentatively slow down the path between the Gaudium and Sanguiem table, looking for Thea. People just won't stop staring at me! It's so godamn frustrating! It's not my fault that something weird happened! God, it feels like I'm back home and walking down the street.

Thea stands up and walks towards me. She grimaces and holds out her hand. "You got balls. Here, you can sit with us." I grab her hand with all my might.

"Thank you," I say quietly. She wraps her free arm around me to give me support, and leads me towards her group. Lucas grimaces and becomes very stiff, staring at my wound with a scary amount of intensity. I hazily sit down next to Thea, keeping an eye on Lucas so that he doesn't eat my arm off. Nova sits right next to Lucas, who sits across from me, and next to a tall, blonde, and careful looking boy. And Nova is sitting next to a girl with cat ears and tail.

Wait… what?

"Who…who are you guys?" I ask. The girl with cat features twitches her ears and opens her brown eyes wider.

Thea clears her throat. "Um… guys this is Cynthia." She says awkwardly.

"Yes, we know that." The cat girl says rudely.

"That's Clerah. She's not really a bitch, she's just that way to everybody else." Clerah gasps slightly, giving Thea a rude look and petting her tail. She must be a shifter of some sort; animaguses can't do half forms like she's in right now. This place is just full of halfbreeds.

"And my bitch over there is Nova," Nova waves her hand stiffly, giving me a chilly look.

"Well, I'm Henry. Nice to meet you!" The blonde boy says with a smile.

"Cynthia." I say, grabbing a napkin and putting it on my wound.

"Well, Cynthia, I must say that was quite the show up there." Henry says grinning much like Lucas.

"Thanks? I…I'm not sure hoe to really…respond…" The nurse may have put an anti-fainting spell on me, but it doesn't seem to stop the dizziness. Things get darker and my ears pop. I lean on Thea for support, and she cradles my arm.

"Attention! Please, may I have your attention?" Professor Raiden booms with help from the amplification spell. I slowly and carefully turn my head to face him.

"Now that everybody is sorted, I'd like to go over some rules." Oh great. I hate rules.

"Firstly, 5 years students and up are allowed to roam freely around the city, as long as you come back in time for curfew, which is 9:30. First through Fourth years shall have certain times in which they are allowed to go within a 3-mile radius of the grounds. I feel the need to make a personal reminder to the 7th year class that smoking wolfsbane is not permitted on school grounds." I heard a couple groans with that one. I've heard that smoking wolfsbane has hallucinogenic tendencies, but I've never heard of people actually doing it. To all its own.

The bleeding and the pain slow as Professor Raiden's speech goes on. I look away from his pedestal and stare at an unestablished point in the room.

What the hell could have caused the sorting basin to go awry? Was it because of my changeling status? I know it's rare for there to be a fully developed changeling that can produce, so a halfbreed like me is very hard to come by. Maybe that's it. Yeah, that must be it. It makes sense, I think.

"So, the Department of Wizarding Education shall send an advisor to help monitor the school and in it's activities this year. And with that said, may Cynthia Herein is needed in the headmaster's office. Now, you may commence with your feast!" The hall erupted with laughter, talking, whispers, and general loudness. Professor Herein gestures for me to come with him.

"Good luck," Thea says, rubbing my arm. I smile, and head towards Professor Raiden.

We meet halfway through the hall. "Cynthia," He says. "I nee to talk to you about a plan for your education here at Abberax. I'll explain more once we're at my office." I nod, brushing back some of my lavender hair nervously.

We stay in silence. We walk through large, open halls with white plaster walls and dark hardwood floors, old world chandeliers providing light, and a view of the pristine grounds and surrounding city from large windows with small window seats. The place looks frozen in time, a perfect replica of a Victorian estate in a modernized world. It messes with my head, but it's very pretty. I can get use to it, I think.

-/-/-/-/-

The walk wasn't too long; his office is just a few minutes away from the main hall. The room has dark, wood panels and a large desk, lavish couches, drapes, and rugs in exotic patterns and prints. Various bits of wizarding tool, collectables, and rune stones decorate the office, and enchanted paintings of old headmasters and enchanted photos of Professor Raiden in shabby looking villages across the world litter the office.

"Please, take a seat." He gestures towards the couch on the left. I nod and sit down apprehensively. I wonder what happened to the other people who had the same reaction as I did. What happened to them? Did it affect anything in their life whatsoever?

"I'm going to be honest Cynthia," He reaches for an ornate glass bottle filled with an emerald green liquid. Must be nerve loosener. Clever man, avoiding drinking alcohol by drinking a potion that slightly mimics alcoholic effects. Very clever indeed. "I'm only a second year teacher here. I don't quite know what to do with you. In 90 some odd years, there hasn't been a case where that reaction happened. Now, what they did then was send the child to an island away from New Orleans because they didn't know what to do with said child."

Isolation? When I just got here?!

"No. I'm not going to leave when I've been fighting to get here for 6 years, and just got here." I look him straight in the eyes and tell him.

"That's what I was thinking as well." He takes a swig of the elixir, sits down on the couch opposite, and relaxes into the cushions.

"Look, The only thing that we know about this reaction is that it's only ever occurred to 3 other people. And recent testing on the bodies of these people shows a link in the bloodline. This is why I couldn't talk to you in the main hall. All that is said in here stays in here, all right? Knowledge of these tests on the bloodline is top secret. Do you understand?" I nod. He takes another swig and scratches his curly brown hair and puts the glass down.

"The first person to react this way was Belle Noveaux in 1849. She was a quiet girl with no known parents. Her acceptance to the school was… controversial. She… slept her way through her acceptance. Her personal student records show that she was a determined girl to get through the bad situation of being parentless. She also had a certain talent for the psychic arts. A talent rivaling in greats of Marie Laveau." He says.

Marie Laveau. Rose to popularity in 1830's for her powerful voodoo spells and rituals, earning her the name of 'The Voodoo Queen'. Her power was considered limitless and dangerous to the American Ministry of Magic. I've never heard of a person who was anywhere near her level of power.

"Belle ended up disappearing shortly after her 7th year. Nobody knows why she disappeared or what transpired during these undocumented years. But while digging up an old house owned by a wealthy patrician in Georgia, the construction workers found bones. Further DNA confirmed that they belong to Belle. The muggles determined that she died at age 27, hand a broken nose, but couldn't find a cause of death. She's buried in Lafayette Cemetery. You might want to visit her grave sometime.

"Anyways, researchers from the Department of Unsolved Cases down at the Ministry stole her bones with magic, and did their own investigation. The body showed all the signs that would indicate death by magic. The magic however was untraceable. Either the killer used an undetectable spell, a different form of magic, or a spell that wasn't yet recognized by the Ministry. Even to this day, her death remains a mystery." He takes another swing and fills his glass again.

"Why are you telling me all of this stuff about an unsolved murder?" I ask him.

"You didn't let me finish. It's a long story, so don't expect to be leaving soon." He gulps down more of the elixir.

"Are you sure that you should be drinking that much of a nerve loosing elixir in front of a student?" He grimaces slightly, and shock passes through his eyes for only a second, until they soften and he laughs.

"You're a smart girl, Cynthia. Most people, despite a proper education would not be able to recognize a potion just by the sight of it. That takes skill." He takes another drink.

"Now, back to the story. The 2nd person who had the same reaction was Geon Winston. His record showed that he was a quiet boy until his 5th year. He started complaining of seeing visions of seeing 2 women. One, a woman with skin like coffee and a large headdress, urging him to do things for her. The other was a tanned woman with short, black hair and blood spilling from her wounds; telling him to help her. The poor boy was considered mad, because no one else could see these apparitions. The Department of Mysteries brought the boy in for questioning concerning these apparitions. At the time, they where conducting a study on poltergeists that effect one individual only. They questioned him, and all I just told you is from that study. 3 months later he was found hanging in the DADA tower."

"Oh," I say, shocked. What does this mean for me? And a person killing himself from these visions… shit, I'm screwed.

"Exactly. It doesn't stop there though. The next case was in 1897, with a girl named Constance Kinder. Very sweet, had a knack for deciphering runes. The same thing happened to Constance that happened to Geon. Except this time, she was reporting seeing a dark skinned boy with bruises and rashes on his neck, pleading for her to help him get away. Constance wouldn't say what he was trying to get away from, she would always scream whenever somebody tried to push her into answering. Then in 1904 a young man named Thomas Alloance had the same reaction. Again, he was of a quiet nature. He had a raw talent for some of the most complex rituals of the century. All according to his file of course. He was well likes by his peers, and excelled greatly in school. Until he started having visions of the past victims, and eventual was found hanging in the DADA tower; the same place where the rest of them where found."

"How can I stop this from happening to me as well?" I ask.

"That's the tricky part." He swirls his drink nervously. "There is no cure for this."

I look down at the ground. I can't believe this. I can't die yet! My life has only just begun! It's not fair! "Then what the hell am I supposed to do, wait around until I kill myself?"

"No, none of that. I won't allow it." He puts the glass down and sits by me. "You're going die. In the other cases, people shunned those kids for being who they are. They didn't provide a support system for them, never did much to try and stop this from happening to them. I'm not going to do that. If there's any way for us to stop this from happening, then we're going to do it." I nod my head and brush back some of my hair.

"Is there… anything else?" I ask nervously. In all honesty, I don't think that I can take anymore. It's all too much! 16 years old and I'm already told that I'm marked for an early death? No. I can't wrap my mind around that. Just… no.

He grimaces. "Yes, unfortunately. Since your blood has this…abnormality, blood hunters will be after you. And this can't be kept a secret, since the school has seen the abnormality. Be wary of who you keep in contact with, Cynthia. I've heard that you've been talking to Lucas Wiseman?" His green eyes stare at me with uncertainty etched into them.

"How did you know?" I ask him. Do they have cameras in everywhere or something?

"We've taken to using muggle security cameras. My concern is that he's a vampire. And your blood is very special, Cynthia. While he is under control of his ways, there's always a chance of letting loose. I'm not going to tell you who you can and can't be around, because then I would just be no help at all. But please, be careful." He says to me. He definitely is a great teacher. He actually seems to care. I remember

"I will. He does have amazing control though, even when I was bleeding heavily, he didn't try anything. I didn't even see his eyes change." I say.

"It is amazing, the amount of discipline he has. But still, stay cautious. Please."

I nod. "Now just a quick set of rules that are special for you," he says in a lighter tone. "I am aware that your changeling side of you gives you certain advantages over the rest of us. But I ask you, to please not use these advantages, or limit them as much as you can. So, no stealing. No stealing bodies, objects, no stealing anything. Fairy Magic is allowed though. That's the main thing that is for you. I have your class schedule right here," I heads over to his desk and fumbles in the drawers, eventually pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to me.

"Thank you, Professor Raiden." I say, putting the paper in my carry-on bag.

"One more thing. Here's a map of the school; it'll be a lifesaver. Since you've been sorted into Sanguiem, you'll need the password for the dorms. Now remember this: Antipodean Opaleye. Got it?" I nod. "Alright, I think you're situated. It'll be okay, Cynthia. We're looking for a cure as we speak. Now have fun, study hard, do girl things or whatever, and enjoy your time here."

"I will!" I smile and leave his office. It'll be all right. It has to be. I will be.

-/-/-/-/-

**This took too long. But, I was at an INTENSE theatre camp. Like honestly, I've lost a jean size for all the working out. After this week, I'll be leaving for NYC to visit my grandma for 2 weeks. I'll have my laptop there, but most likely my time for writing shall be minimal. Sorry, but family comes first. **

**This chapter was mostly exposition, but it's necessary. So, now that you kind of know where the story is pointed to, what do you think? Please tell me, I want your input. All of the OCs that have been submitted are in the story and play a part in the grand plot, but no more! I am done with OC submissions! YAY! **

**NEXT CHAPTER IS WHERE THE ACTUAL PLOT BEGINS AND NOT JUST STRAIGHT EXPOSITION THANK GOD.**

**Until Next Time,**

**-Bonjour My Friend**


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